Lower Vitamin C Levels Are Associated With Less Improvement in Negative Symptoms in Initially Antipsychotic-Naïve Patients With First-Episode Psychosis

• Published in: The international journal of neuropsychopharmacology 2022-08, Vol.25 (8), p.613-618
• Main Authors: Myken, Anders N, Ebdrup, Bjørn H, Sørensen, Mikkel E, Broberg, Brian V, Skjerbæk, Martin W, Glenthøj, Birte Y, Lykkesfeldt, Jens, Nielsen, Mette Ø
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Complications and side effects; Development and progression; Drug therapy; Mental illness; Prognosis; Rapid Communication; Vitamin C deficiency
• ISSN: 1461-1457; 1469-5111
• DOI: 10.1093/ijnp/pyac029

Abstract Low levels of vitamin C have been observed in patients with schizophrenia and psychosis, and vitamin C may affect the dopaminergic system. Likewise, antipsychotic medication modulates striatal dopamine D2 receptors. We measured vitamin C levels in 52 patients with first-episode psychoses (24 females, age 23.1 ± 5.2 years) and 57 matched HCs (20 females, age 22.7 ± 4.3 years) before and after 6 weeks where patients received aripiprazole monotherapy (mean dose 10.4 mg ± 4.8 mg). At baseline, patients displayed lower levels of vitamin C (57.4 ± 25.9 µM) than controls (72.7 ± 21.4 µM) (t = 3.4, P = .001). Baseline symptoms and vitamin C levels were not correlated. Higher baseline vitamin C levels were associated with more improvement in negative symptoms (n = 39, R2 = 0.20, F = 8.2, P = .007), but not with age, sex, or p-aripiprazole. Because negative symptoms are generally considered challenging to alleviate, a potential adjunctive effect of vitamin C on treatment response should be tested in future randomized clinical trials.